BLAND CONSIDERING OFFER FROM TROJANS

Sources say San Diego State assistant has been offered $250K, associate coach title

ATLANTA 
Tony Bland is still an assistant basketball coach at San Diego State. For now.

SDSU’s lead recruiter has been offered the associate head coach position on Andy Enfield’s staff at USC along with a salary package worth more than $250,000 per year, according to sources in Los Angeles and San Diego.

He would have already accepted, the sources said, if he were anywhere else, but loyalty to his alma mater and coach Steve Fisher has rendered what otherwise might be an easy decision into a heart-wrenching one.

Bland, in Atlanta for the Final Four, was unavailable for comment. He was expected to reach a decision Monday night or this morning.

A person close to him said: “I think he’s really torn.”

Bland, regarded as a star recruiter in just his second season of collegiate coaching, currently makes $120,000 at SDSU. Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports tweeted that USC Athletic Director Pat Haden “told me last week USC would spend any amount necessary to get Enfield the assistants he wants.”

Sources said Bland turned down several advances to interview with UCLA and new head coach Steve Alford. Arizona, which lost assistant James Whitford to Ball State, apparently is no longer in contention, either.

Earlier Monday, Pepperdine coach Marty Wilson tweeted that Waves assistant Jason Hart “will be joining the new USC staff.” Hart, who like Bland is from Los Angeles and played at Syracuse, is considered an up-and-coming recruiter with strong ties to Southern California basketball circles.

But Hart’s hiring does not mean Bland is no longer a candidate. Bland would come as the associate head coach, No. 2 behind Enfield, who took over the Trojans program last week after leading Florida Gulf Coast on its magical run in the NCAA Tournament.